Convertible body for motor-driven vehicles.



n. e. SAUNDERS, 1R. CONVERTIBLE BODY FOR MOTOR DRIVEN VEHICLES.

APPLICATION FILED APR. I]. 1916.

Patented ov. 19, 1918.

2 SHEETS-SHEET 1.

INVEN TOR. P flan/e/ 6 fiaundenzuk A TTO RAE y D. G. SAUNDERS, JR. CONVERTIBLE BODY FOR MOTOR DRIVEN JEHlCLES. APPLICATION FILED APR. 11, 1916.

Patented Nov. 19, 1918..

at QM DANIEL G. SAUNDERS, JR., OF KANSAS CITY, MISSQUBI.

CONVERTIBLE BODY FOR MOTOR-DRIVEN VEHICLES.

specification of Letters Eatent.

Patented Nov. to, rare.

Application filed April 11, 1916. Serial No. 90,307.

'0 all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, DANIEL Gr. SAUNDERS, J12, a citizen of the United States, residing at Kansas City, in the county of Jackson and State of Missouri, have invented certain new and useful ln'iprovements in Convertible Bodies for Motor-Driven Vehicles; and I do declare the following to be a full, clear, and exact description of the invention, such as will enable others skilled in the art to which it appertains to make and use the same, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, and to the letters and figures of reference marked thereon, which form a part of this specification.

My invention relates to convertible bodies for motor driven vehicles, and has for its tional position,

'parts of principal object to provide a body comprising posts or standards which form a permanent part of the body but which may be housed therein when not in use.-

It is alsoan object of the invention to provide posts or standards of this character which may be easily and quickly moved to or from the housing and which, when in funcnot only form supports or guides for the windows or curtains, but also serve to close the vehicle between adjacent windows or curtains. In accomplishing these and other objects of the invention, 1 have provided improved details of structure, the preferred forms of which are illustrated in the accompanying drawings, wherein Figure I is a side elevation of a convertible body embodying my improvements, the main body and supplemental closure members being broken away for better illustration.

Fig. II is a longitudinal section along the line 11-11 Fig. 1, showing the fore and rear doors closed in full lines and open in dotted lines.

Fig. III is a side body, portions of being broken away elevation of a part of the the fore and rear doors to illustrate the housing of the supplemental closure standards.

is a vertical section of part of the the line IV'IV, Fig. III, particularly illustrating the housing of the supporting standards and. curtain, the housing cover being shown closed, and open in dotted lines.

Fig. V is a similar view showing the parts in functional position,

Fig. IV doors on Fig. V1 is a detail perspective view 01? one of the doors, showing one of the supporting standards in functional position and the curtain partly raised.

Referring more in detail to the drawings:

1 designates the vehicle body, whichmay.

be of any ordinary type, but comprises the fore and rear doors 23, each of whichdoors comprises inner and outer facings i-5, which are spaced frame members 6 to form an interior chamher 7. The end frame members i are cut away at their upper ends to provide the reccsses 8, and pivot-ally mounted in said recesses are posts or standards 9, each of which comprises a main body portion and a reduced shank 10, the end of the shank being located in the recess and pivoted to the frame member, and the reduction between the body portion and shank forming a downwardly facing shoulder '11, which is adapted for abutment against and support by the body of the vehicle adjacent the door opening.

The standards 9 may be constructed of rel-,

by the end and bottom also adapted for housing within the chamber.

standards with the critsets or shoulders 11, parts of the bodies of the standards on the rear end of the first By providing the door 2 and of the standard on the front end 4, of the rear door 3 are extended over the post member 12 of the vehicle body that sop aratcs the door openings, so that said stand: ards overlap each other and close the vehicle between the door curtains. In like manner the ofi'sets of the standards on the front end of the front door and on the rear end of the rear door project over the body at the front and rear of the respective door openings and form abutmcnts for the wind shield in front and for the windows or curtains the rear when the latter are raised from their hoes ings in the body or otherwise installed. 1

Each door curtain 14. in its preferred form, comprises a frame 15, preferably composed of tough fablicol leather and containing a central panel 16 of transparent material, such as glass or mica, the frame 15 having pocket members 17 at its upper and lower edges, through which rods 18-49 may be projected to stiffen the ends of the curtain at the top and bottom. The ends of the curtain frame 15 extend beyond the ends-of the pockets 17 and are preferably bifurcated to extend over opposite faces of standards 9 and form elongated guide pockets within which the standards are contained and form efiective connection between the standards and curtain, that not only serves tain and said standards.

to anchor the curtain but also effectually prevents the admission of snow or rain to the interior of the vehicle between the cur- As there is room Within the housing chamber 7 for containing the curtains without folding or rolling I prefer to hang the curtains within the chambers, and thereby avoid creasing the curtains or marring the surface thereof, and in order to support the curtains so that they may be readily accessible to a person wishing to extend the same, I provide the housing with hooks 22 (Fig. IV) which are adapted to take through eyelets 23 at the edges of the curtain frames so that the curtains may be supported from the upper end of the housing and hang freely therein.

In order to prevent the curtains from swinging freely within the housing and rattling against the sides thereof, I locate a V-shaped trough 24 in the bottom of each of the housings into which the lower end of a curtain may seat when housed, the flaring mouth of the trough receiving the lower edge of the curtain and forming a tight seat for the lower rod when the curtain is lowered.

I also provide for fastening the curtains in functional position by locating the eyelets 23 in the upper end of the inner bifurcated portions 26 so that they may take over buttons 26 on the upper, inner corners of the standards 9, and so that when the curtains are raised their upper corners may be buttoned onto the upper portions of the standards and the curtains suspended from the buttons and securely attached to the standards.-

When a curtain is housed within the chamber in its door member, the upper end of the chamber may be closed by a lid or cover 27, which is preferably hinged to the inner edge of the housing, and may be closed against the curtain to bind the same tightly against the outer edge of the door in such position that moisture will flow down the curtain and' to the outside of the door.

I have not described the closure members or other parts of the vehicle as the present invention relates particularly to the supporting pbsts, which may be used with curtains of any suitable construction.

In order, however, to efi'ectually close the vehicle at the edge of the top, the top may be provided with depending inner and outer edge flaps forming an abutment for the door curtains and a pocket for the body curtains, as described'in my copending application, Serial No. 90308, filed April 11, 1916.

In order that the lids or covers may swing to and from normal position, I cut away the inner edges of the standards at their lower ends to form the recesses 28 through which the ends or covers may travel, and in order that the lower ends of the curtains may be extended outwardly to be bound by the lids or housing covers I cut away the lower ends of the lnner bifurcated portions of the curtains. It is apparent that, when the parts are in functional position, the ends of the housing lids or covers will lie against or close to the standards and thereby prevent accidental displacement of the standards.

Assuming that the parts are constructed and assembledas described, it is apparent that the vehicle may be used with the body, open at the sides and with the top down. \Vhen, however, it is desired to close the body to protect the occupants against cold or inclement weather, the top is raised and the supplemental closure for the body of the car installed.

The lids or covers 27 on the doors 2-3 are then swung back and the standards 9 swung up on their pivotal mountings until they stand perpendicularly, with the shoulders 11 seated on the permanent body parts at the edges of the door openings, the front. standard on the fore door lying within a frame member on the front of the vehicle, the rear standard on the rear door overlapping the rear curtain and the rear wing of the standard on the fore door overlapping the front edge of the wingon the forward standard of the rear door, so that the standards press against relatively stationary parts or against each other and effect tight joints, the openings of which are rearward so that when the vehicle is in motion wind or rain may not enter through the joints.

When the standards have been placed as described, the curtains are lifted from the housings with the bifurcated anchor members running along the side edges ofthe curtains fitting along the edges of the standards, until the curtains are in closed position, when they are buttoned to the standards and are held in place.

s and curtains respectively, the currein :nerobe may be secured or released by ierson T1 iiilnn the vehicle so that the en irc i y may converted to aci-osecl street-1.117s Wiitlioni she occupants leaving the vehicle.

' nus described my invention, when; new i-herein, and. desire to secure Patent, is a, reliicle, a body comprising door anti a body member between the cloors for closing said openings,

id walls, and standards mountent end walls of said doors above the said body loors are closed and the Standmi position.

I body comprising door body member between the or ch 1g said openings, uri'ls mounted aid doors and body member ciosezil and the standards ic iionol position, and with the forward door lying oi the andsrci' the rear door. 1* icle, a body comprising door a. boriv member between the 'or closing said openings, end Walls, standards mounte so in the acl cent end walls of said loors and. overlapping above sand body member when U i) '1 Orr: r 4- l v we cools are bleed; eno one standeuds in mph functional position, top for the vehicle, and curtains cooperating with the body and top to inclose the vehicle.

4. In combination with vehicle body, having chambers in its side walls, standards pivotally mounted on said body and adapted for housing Within the chambers and for extension therefrom, curtains located Within the chambers mil-(voted for extei 'on. there from along the standards, the sain curtains boring gro wealv edges adopted for gnideci travel along the edges of the standards, for the purpose set forth.

5. in combination with it vehicle body, having a chamber therein, standards pivotclly mounted on the body n opposite ends of the chamber and ac ,r'cerl for housing with in said chamber, and for movement from the housing to perpendicular position, a certain suspended. within the chamber between the standarcis and adapted for extension therefrom, the ends of the curtain being bifurcated and a i be facing edges str (idling the surnalerds.

In combinacion with a vehicle body, having a chamber therein opening through the upper edge 01? the body, stendarcs pivotelly mounted on the body incl adapted for housing Wiol'llll the chamber, each slander-(i having a shoulder adapted for lying; over an adjacent portion of the body to limit the pivotal moven'lent of the standard, 2L curtain movable into and from the chamber and having bifurcated end flaps for straddling the facing edges of the curtain.

In tesiznony whereof I afiix my signature.

DANIEL G. SAUNDERS, JR. 

